After playing her first golf tournament at 14, Nicola Race is making headlines and history in America.

Far from playing shots into the water, she is playing masterstrokes across the pond and at 20-years-old the Witham resident has been collecting a host of awards.

Miss Race, whose parents live just off Hatfield Road, Witham, comes from a golf-loving family and she first picked up a club at ten-years-old.

She now lives in America and has just graduated from Redlands Community College in Oklahoma.

She made headlines in May after leading Redlands Community College Women’s Golf Team to a repeat victory in the National Junior College Championship.

She also successfully defended her individual golf title which had never been done before.

Last month she won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Betty Jo Graber Female Student-Athlete of the Year award.

Her mother, Julie, said: “You could not put into words how proud we are of her.

“It’s amazing that she got the Betty Jo Graber award as it’s never been presented to a golfer before.”

Miss Race, a former pupil at Bramston School, Witham, left England on her own with the support of her father Bob, mother Julie and brother James.

Before leaving for the States she was part of the English Ladies South-East Select team and the Essex ladies team.

“I played in many tournaments and both nationally and regionally,” she said.

“One of my biggest wins in England was the Essex Schools which was played on May 16, 2006, at Langdon Hills Golf Club, where I shot 68 (five under par) and set the course record which made me qualify for the English Schools tournament two weeks later at Mentmore Golf Club, Buckinghamshire, where I shot 71, (two under par) and 72 (one under par) both of which I set courses records again on the same day.”

Throughout her time in America she has had twelve top ten finishes and five wins nationally.

She has played in 15 States and played many different courses, one being the LPGA International, Florida, and she has practiced at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday Miss Race wakes up at 6am and works out for an hour and a half. She then has classes until 1pm After lunch she has golf practice at 2pm hitting balls for three hours solid.

On Tuesday and Thursday she starts at 6am running three miles, doing lunges and crunches, then going out to the golf course practicing for two hours and play 18 holes after that.

“It is a hard schedule to have and do each and everyday, but I feel it is helping me grow into a better athlete and person,” she said.

She is now getting ready to transfer up to the University of Missouri in August to complete a major in sports psychology.

She aims to play on their golf team for a further two years and hopefully continue on to the qualifying school for the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

She paid tribute to the support of her family throughout her career so far.

She said: “I could not have done this without my parents and their support, it was such a big decision on both of our parts for them to allow me to come out to the States and for me to leave home and be so far away. I do not regret anything I have done. I feel this is the biggest thing I could have done for myself and my career.”

Mrs Race said: “I think golf is her dream but Nicola being Nicola she doesn’t want to be big headed and say ‘I’m going to be a professional golfer’.”

On July 14 Miss Race will play a qualifying tournament in Miami for the US Amateur Open which is being held in August.